This Bittersweet Life
by So Just Smile
Summary: Because, yeah, when kids get sucked into an anime, you just have to write a story about it and post it on the internet. Another story where some kids get sucked into the Narutoverse. I obviously can't think of a summary.
1. Chapter 1

**So.Just.Smile:** Yes, this is a kid get's sucked into Narutoverse story. XP Anyway- **Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, but I do own my OC's and the plot of this story. On to the story!

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**Chapter One:** Power Outage 

_I'd really like a purpose.  
__But I guess they don't just hand those things out, huh?  
_-Lyn

"Ah, 1812 Overture, how I love it," a brown-eyed girl sighed dramatically, then grinned as the music continued to play throughout the room. The girl's head gave a sharp turn as she heard the shrill hiss and pop of a soda can opening. Leaning on the frame of the kitchen doorway was a boy, taking a sip from a Coca Cola can.

"Aw, hey, get me one," the girl whined from her spot on the beige sofa.

"Tch, no way, get your own," the boy scoffed, walking over and taking a seat next to the girl. The brunette teen gave the boy a punch to his arm before childishly folding her arms and glaring at nowhere in particular. The onyx-eyed boy simply rubbed his arm after letting an 'Ow' slip from his pink lips and gave a chuckle.

"Wow," the young pre-teen boy said after taking another swig of his soda while he watched the TV in front of him. "That is a _lot_ of fireworks. What're you watching?"

The girl grinned as she told the boy, "V for Vendetta. I just barely got into it after watching it on HBO. Of course, I had to watch it, like, three times before I actually understood everything."

The boy simply gave a nod and took another drink before sighing. The girl looked at the boy with a bored expression playing on her young face, but the look changed quite quickly into one of innocence as the boy looked her way.

"Joshua," the girl drawled, "get me a soda!"

The boy, Joshua, scowled, already annoyed at the brunette's behavior, "No!"

"Aw, come on, Josh," the girl pleaded, "If you love me!"

"Fine, oh, fine," the boy gave in.

"Really?" the girl asked with a look of hope playing on her face.

"No," the boy said flatly.

The young girl looked quite confused before a look of understanding came over the teen's feature followed by realization. The girl gaped as the boy left to his room, and then settled into a position of folding her arms and glaring at nothing in particular after the boy entered his room. In a few minutes time, the brunette girl sighed and rose from the seat to get her self a soda, however, upon entering the living room where she had previously found herself accommodated, she found a young raven-haired child in her seat.

"You're in my spot, move," the brunette ordered the younger child. The temperamental child instantly sent a cold glare to the older girl, a glare that would send shivers down anyone's back had they not grown accustomed to it.

"You left, I'm in control of the living room now," the brown-eyed child spoke icily as she twirled the remote control between her small hands.

"Tch, I'm older," the elder girl said smugly. "And since I'm in such a good mood, I won't resort to violence if you simply leave."

The nine-year old girl frowned. "**No**. **I** was here. **You** left. I'm in control of the living room. Besides," the girl smirked, "you're not supposed to be hurting me any more."

"Yeah, well, you're not supposed to be hitting or kicking me or Josh, but you do that anyway," the elder girl stated simply. "Anyway, I can always call mom and tell her what you're up to, how you've been misbehaving," the teen added slyly. "You know what she told you about behaving and listening to me, Kayla."

By this time, the younger girl, Kayla, was fuming. "Hmph, fine, but I'm taking the dog with me."

"Fine, I don't care," the elder girl said as Kayla stole the dog from his spot on the sofa.

_That dog will come crawling back to me anyway,_ the female teen smirked egotistically. The dog, which was a Chihuahua, completely black with the exception of all four of his paws which were colored white, seemed to be quite fond of the eldest of the three Zevin siblings, Lyn.

Lyn smirked at her success in keeping her control over the living room, which was an area and topic that was often fought over between the siblings. Although 'control' over the largest television in the household was not the only thing argued about between the three, nor was it the stupidest.

The three siblings would usually end up in a fight, which would start verbally and snowball until punches were being thrown and bruises were being formed. However, despite everything, all three siblings cared for each other and would do anything for the either. Well, almost anything. Sadly and fortunately, you were unlucky and lucky enough not to witness a fight between the eldest and youngest siblings. Both girls were rather different from each other, and when they fought it was quite interesting, but more ugly and dangerous than anything. Hell, even when they were just joking or playing around, they might end up in a gruesome fight.

This is why Lyn smiled a relieved smile with a bit of regret in her eyes as she watched her sister flee to her room. Lyn was a naturally violent girl, though she kept that side of her usually locked up inside, and she was just aching to get out the strain she was feeling in a fight. Tensions were high since none of the Zevin siblings had been allowed outside because of the three-days-straight of rain.

Lyn's smile turned into a smirk and her eyes filled with triumph and she basked in her slight glory. Giving a slightly evil chuckle, she returned to her seat at the beige sofa, sitting down lazily and grabbing the remote that had been left behind by her younger sister.

_Stupid,_ Lyn thought lazily, _she could have used this as some sort of bargaining tool, or simply hid it to anger me. She should know that I'm nearly too lazy to change the channel without the remote and that, like most people, I would spend more time searching for that damned contraption rather than simply push the buttons on the screen._

Within just a few seconds, Lyn had completely forgotten of her verbal fight with her sister and was watching her current obsession, Naruto, with a grin on her face that would put the Cheshire cat to shame. A loud boom of thunder, however, snapped her mind clear of what she was doing and her eyes strayed to the window behind her. The rain continued to pour unaffected by the frightening sound. Another, even louder, snap of the thunderous sound cracked Lyn's world as did the lightning that had brightened the sky like sunshine.

A second later, everything in the house went off as the power went down. A moment passed before a sentence was yelled out in three different voices from three different children.

"I didn't do it!"

--Lyn--

I sighed and stayed in my spot. What the Hell was I gonna do now? Almost everything I did revolved around electricity and now that was gone. I laid back and stared at what would've been the ceiling, but it was too dark to tell now, for all I could see, I could've been staring right into the face of a sleeping troll, but that was highly unlikely in all ways. One: trolls don't sleep in the air, nor do they sleep when they have the chance of getting captured and having strands of their leg hair sold for fairy dust. Two: they also snore, so it's nearly impossible not too notice them unless you're sleeping with or are in the same room with someone that snores and they are doing so.

I turned my head lazily as a series of various crashes and yells protruded the silence that was as heavy as this darkness. Even in the thick darkness, I could still see the slight outlines of both my siblings coming over and taking a seat next to me.

"Well," my brother sighed," what do we do now?" He glanced at me expectantly, or so I suspected.

I shrugged, and in case he didn't see the gesture, I said, "I don't know."

I felt Kayla give a slight whimper and interlace my hand with her own. Before, I would've made fun of her, but I felt her fear too. With a mind as paranoid as mine, I too felt a twinge of fear. I could already imagine the ghouls and creeps that were said not to exist crawling, sneaking, and slithering around in the open space in front of me. Being blind was a great disadvantage for me, because the dark played tricks on me, tricks that my own mind invented and put into motion; really, all the darkness did was keep the trick from being revealed as nothing more than what it was: a trick.

I sighed and lifted myself from the crowded sofa. There was a whimper from my sister and I rolled my eyes. If I could get over my childish fears, so could she. I walked into my room, grabbed my little brown bear and went back into the living room. I plopped down on the smaller sofa, which now occupied only me and my bear, curled up into a ball and yawned.

"I might go to sleep, so behave and don't break anything. If you do, you better fix it," was all I said before closing my eyes and waiting for sleep to claim me.

-:+:-

I groaned as a sharp pain pulsed from my side. Another pulse and I tried to whack away whatever it was that was trying to wake me. Another poke and I got up, opening my eyes angrily.

"What?" I growled, rubbing my eyes with a yawn. There was silence and I opened my eyes to see the outlines of two people.

"What do you want?" I asked as I recognized my brother and sister. "Why aren't the lights on?"

"The power went out, remember?" my brother's voice filled the air.

"Well," I buried my head into the soft velvet of my teddy bear, "what do you want?"

"We're bored," I heard Kayla's voice.

"Well that's not my problem, now is it?" I asked, looking up at them angrily.

"Check to see if the power's on," the demand came from my brother.

"Why don't you," I growled, "or are you too stupid to do that?"

"We don't want to get electrocuted," a mumble came.

"Ele—what do you mean electrocuted? You can't get electrocuted like that you idiots," I barked, even though I wasn't completely sure if I was right. I sighed crossly and rose from my spot. My siblings replaced me on the sofa, wrapping a blanket around them.

_Idiots, they're probably just scared of walking around in the dark._ But as I walked toward the TV, I pulled my teddy bear that was still in my hands to me into a hug...Shut up.

I sighed once again and lowered myself to search for the power button. I ran my hand along the base of the TV and when I found the square button, I pushed it. All the while, I was staring at what would be the TV screen, waiting for the screen to fill with the vivid colors of Cartoon Network.

I raised an eyebrow involuntarily, however, as the screen stayed dark and a monkey walked across the screen. I resisted a smile. Heh. A monkey. Now, what commercials have a monkey in them nowadays?

_Let's see, there's Geico, the Cavemen, Build-A-Bear, L'oreal…Nope, can't think of anything with any monkeys in it, TV shows, definitely, but no commercials._

I shrugged it off and continued to watch the screen. Nope, still bla—no wait, there's the monkey! But he's just walking around. Doing nothing. Hm. Wait, he's walking toward the audience. Hello Mr. Monkey. Ew, he's not exactly cute. But then he's not exactly ugly, either.

_I think he's some sort of baboon…Thank you Animal Planet._

The baboon stopped walking once his face took up the entire television screen. Then he howled. I threw myself backwards and placed my hands over my ears.

_Who the fuck turned the speakers on this loud?!_ I scrambled to turn down the volume. I found the button quickly, but the volume of the scream did not decrease. _I think it's actually getting louder, damn it!_

And then it just stopped. I lowered my hands carefully and then looked back up at the TV screen. The monkey seemed to be looking around the room, as if searching for something or someone.

_Don't be absurd Lyn, it's just some sort of commercial, some really weird sort of commercial._

And then, I swear, the damned animal looked straight at me and smirked. Can monkeys even smirk? I don't know, but this one very well could. He lifted his head and gave another whoop. This time, I couldn't block out the sound, I just kept my hands pressed up against my ears, and my eyes squeezed shut.

The sound stopped. And then there was nothing.


	2. Chapter 2

**So.Just.Smile:** Okay, I don't own any part of Naruto the Abridged Series, but damn, is that a funny parody, if you haven't seen it, check it out. Gotta give it to MasakoX and vegeta3986. Anyway, I've already stated that I have no ownership over Naruto, so moving on to the Chapter!

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**  
Chapter Two:** Meeting a God 

_Earth laughs in flowers.  
_-Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Hamatreya"

I felt sore and my ears were sort of ringing. It was way too bright, even though I could tell that it was hardly that light at all. I mumbled some profanities and curled up into a smaller ball. I wrapped my jacket around me tighter. The air conditioner was making the house really cold today or something. I rolled over to find a more comfortable position. A sharp pain came suddenly came across my side and I searched for whatever was the cause.

_Oh, a rock…Wait…a rock inside the house? There's something not right about that, but what?_ I lifted my head from beneath my arms and narrowed my eyes as I looked at the rock. _Hm, it's a pretty rock. Wait! I got it! Rocks don't belong in the house!_ _Who put this here?!_

I dropped the rock and yawned. Then I proceeded to look around at my surroundings. Hm. Trees and dirt. Ew, I'm probably all dirty now. So, there's just more trees and bushes and flowers and grass and dirt. I look up and see the colors of the sky. The sun was either rising or setting due to the blue hues and shades of red filling the sky.

A dream? No, this was far too real and livid to be a dream, I could tell that even though I was half-asleep. A prank? No, nobody would pull a prank on me, well, not to this extreme. Kidnapped? Possibly.

At that very thought, my eyes snapped wide open and I felt myself unconsciously begin to try to back away from the harsh wilderness. In just a few seconds I felt my back hit something solid. Taking a look, I saw it was a tree. I let out a nervous sigh and stood up. Then a voice protruded the natural sounds of the area.

"Hey, look, she woke up," a childish voice rang. It sounded like a young boy. Suddenly, I found myself being squeezed to death by two people.

"Hey, hey, get off me," I yelped, attempting to quickly back away from the two beings. "Who the hell are you, where are we, and why the hell were you hugging me?!"

I had yelled at the kids and it wasn't until I saw their tear stained cheeks and the fear on their faces that I realized they probably didn't know more than me. Hell, they look to be at least half my age.

_But then why are they so tall? I may be short, but I __**know**__ that I'm taller than a six-year old._ I scowled as I took notice to how tall I was compared to these kids, I could tell that they were extremely close to my height.

"Lyn," the girl with the raven hair cried and then grabbed my waist and smothered her face into my jacket, probably getting tears and boogers all over it. I frowned, but didn't push her away. She sure did seem scared and I couldn't help but want to make her feel better.

_And get her to stop with the fucking tears_. I rolled my eyes at my own insensitivity.

"Lyn," the boy with the black hair started, "we don't…we didn't…do you…"

I stared at the boy impassively, "Spit it out already."

The boy was silent for a moment and then all hell broke lose.

"It's me, Josh," the boy cried. "And that's Kayla. We don't understand what happened or what we should do! We tried waking you up earlier, but you wouldn't and we were scared that you…that you were…"

"…Right…" I said slowly, measuring the two kids up. Actually, if I looked, and I mean actually looked, they did look like a pair of miniaturized siblings named Joshua and Mikayla.

_No, what am I saying, that Josh and Kayla somehow became chibi-fied? That they somehow became years younger just like that?_

No, I wouldn't allow myself to be naïve, especially not here, where I don't know anything. I can't trust anybody.

"Sure you are, and I'm a pirate ninja," I said sarcastically, waving a hand in the air. I finally pushed the girl away from me as I felt her stop shuddering, a clue that the tears were drained from her.

The girl looked at the floor and her hands curled into fists. The boy looked at the girl and then back at me. "I know we may look different, but we are who I say we are. And we're not exactly the only ones who've changed, you have too."

I raised an eyebrow and looked down at myself. Two hands, two arms, check. Ten fingers check. Two legs, and feet, check. And if I wiggled them, I could feel ten toes inside my shoes. I seemed like I was all there. But then, as I stared at my legs, they did seem shorter.

_No, it's just a trick of my mind; I'm not going to believe them!_

But then I compared myself to their height again and I scowled. Sure, I was short in the first place, but these kids look to be about five-, maybe six-years old, there was no way they could be only an inch or two shorter than I was! I was not that short!

"Okay, how the hell are you two so tall? I mean, really, what are you, six-, seven-years old?" I asked suspiciously.

"Lyn," the boy that claimed to be my brother sighed. "Really, we don't know what happened. I was just suspicious of you and Kayla when I woke up."

"Same goes for me," Kayla added.

"Oh, yeah, well, tell me something that only my real siblings would know," I offered.

Both children threw me confused looks. They shared a glance between each other and shook their heads. Then, the boy, Josh, stepped forward and my eye twitched, thinking that he was going to hug me or something.

"But…Lyn, you don't tell us a lot of stuff," he murmured, his face scrunched up in confusion and frustration.

My eyes narrowed in thought and a hand came to my chin, "Yeah, I guess I don't—my siblings that is! I guess I don't tell them a lot about myself. Ah well…"

Then, suddenly, the boy smiled and spoke, "How about this?" He cleared his throat, which was a bit funny coming from such a small person with such high vocal cords.

"Okay, remember this:

'Holy crap, I'm alive! I mean, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Asuma, I'm making your kids take the chuunin exams.'  
'Why?'  
'Because their annoying, especially Sakura. And I'm hoping that some of them will die.'  
'Did you take your medicine today, Hokage?'  
'Did you take your shut the hell up today?!'  
'Ah, tou—'  
'No.'  
'To—'  
'No.'  
'But I—'  
'No.'  
'…Touche…'"

I was already laughing my ass of at the very memory of the Naruto Abridged Series. I already knew that this boy had to be my brother, no matter how different he looked. I knew no other person that had memorized the Naruto Abridged Series so well. He always made me laugh when he mimicked any part of that parody.

"Okay, okay," I chuckled, "I already said it didn't matter."

"No, you didn't," Kayla pointed out with a confused look still on her face.

"Well, now I did, okay? Besides, I'm sorta starting not to care anyway," I mumbled, placing my hands behind my head and turning toward the sky with closed eyes.

"Lyn, do you know what happened? Or at least what we should do?" I heard one the kids say. It was hard to tell when I wasn't watching which of them were speaking, though their voices _were_ different they were both so high in octaves that if I wasn't paying attention, I couldn't tell them apart.

I froze as the questions finally hit me. They were turning to me to be the leader. I opened one eye and looked at them. Why would they do that? Was it because I was the oldest or something? More importantly, was I ready for that sort of responsibility? By just taking a look around us, it seemed like we might be in serious trouble and that if I was going to be the leader, that I might be responsible for their lives.

"Well, Josh, you remember that show, Case Closed?" I waited for him to answer as I sat down with my back against a tree. I pulled my legs in to sit Indian style and crossed my arms across my chest. Josh nodded, his head tilted to the side in puzzlement. "Well, maybe we got a drug like that guy, one that made us uber young or something. That's really the only thing I can think of."

"Oh, right," my brother said nodding in realization.

"And it's too dark right now to do anything," I said looking up at the sky to see it growing darker instead of lighter. "See, I wasn't sure earlier if the sun was setting or rising, but the sky's getting darker, so that means it is setting."

My sister nodded with a yawn and soon my brother did the same. I didn't. Ha ha, see yawn, I am immune to your contagious abilities!

"Why don't you two get some sleep," I suggested, "and we'll see what we can do in the morning. I'll stay up and keep watch."

'_I'll stay up and keep watch.'_

Only after I said it did I realize how easily those words came from my mouth, yet how wrong they tasted. And then it hit, I **wasn't** home, this **wasn't** a dream. I couldn't tell, but I might just not look like my regular fourteen-year old self. My (possible, but I still sort of doubted it) brother and sister were here with me and they didn't look like themselves either. We were porbably in serious trouble, danger.

I might not be able to take care of them.

I scowled at myself. _Get a grip on yourself, don't start bitching and whining, make due with what you've got and protect them no matter the cost._ In the end, it didn't really matter if they were my siblings or not, if they were really in as much trouble as I was, I had to protect them.

"Are you sure, because I don't even think we were asleep for that long, "Josh said, knowing that I only got four and half hours of sleep the last night.

"Yeah, I'll be fine for a while," I nodded and contained a yawn. He was right, with the way I was feeling, we only got a few minutes worth of sleep, that might not be enough to keep me up two days straight without any soda or coffee, but I could make it until the next afternoon, at least.

The two kids came over and sat down on either side of me. They both curled up and laid their heads on my lap. They shivered as a wind passed by and I took a moment to look at their clothing. Josh was wearing dark blue shorts that reached his knees and a short-sleeve grey shirt. Kayla was wearing a short-sleeve pink shirt with black shorts that reached her mid-thigh. I sighed and rose from my seat. The two children watched me curiously.

"Scoot next to each other," I ordered. The two children did so immediately and I laid my black jacket over them. They both murmured their thanks and yawned before placing their hands beneath their heads as pillows and slowly falling asleep.

I watched them and waited until their breathing finally slowed to the point where I knew they were sleeping soundly and then took a walk around the clearing. It wasn't that large, only fifteen to twenty feet in diameter. I searched for any animals or creatures that could cause harm, maybe a fire or something that might indicate there were campers or something nearby, and possibly for a weapon that I could use should there be any threats to me or my siblings.

For more then three quarters of the circumference of the circle, I found nothing but a few birds in the trees, a squirrel or two, and some dead leaves on the forest floor. However, I soon spotted something that glinted against the light from the moon and stars. Eyes narrowed and feet cautious, prepared to run if need be, I approached the object.

It was a piece of metal, right in front of a bush that hid it quite well. It was only due to the angle of the moon and starlight that I had been capable of seeing the light get reflected off of it. I slowly plucked it from the ground and examined it. As I wiped the dirt and dust off of it, I found that it was a knife of some sort.

_A kunai?_ I wondered as I walked back to my siblings. I froze in my tracks half-way back to where my siblings slept. With a perception that I never knew I had, I sensed movement in the forest section to my left. I slowly turned my head to look and saw the leaves of a bush rustle.

_Maybe it's a just a rabbit or something?_ I hoped and prayed. _But what if it's not?_ I thought pessimistically and started for whatever was moving around.

Before I could take a step into the crowded trees however, I saw a figure making its way to the clearing. I gulped and took a step back, getting a better grip on the kunai (or whatever it was) in my hand.

_It's a guy,_ I realized as the figure came closer, the dark outline becoming more and more distinct as they made their way to this area filled with moonlight. I unconsciously took another step backwards as the figure finally stepped into the clearing. I'm ashamed to say that the first thing I thought was: _Man, this guy is hot._

And he was. He had the sweetest shade of brown eyes, like chocolate covered in honey and I could already imagine how they looked shining in the sunlight. His blonde hair was messy where it could be seen, but it seemed suit him perfectly as it framed his face, especially with the bandana that was on his head and the grin on his face as he looked at me.

"Hey," he chuckled, smiling with his eyes closed. I couldn't help but smile back shyly. My eyes fled from his face as soon as he closed his eyes and I had the feeling I was blushing. I could never really tell. Instead I started at the ground, which was looking very interesting right now, then allowed myself to try and face him.

First I looked at his shoes, which were just some brown sandals that looked liked they'd been worn for a long time and were really worn out, but weren't about to give in anytime soon. Then came his blue pants and the brown belt and then the white button up shirt that had a few buttons left open to show a necklace, he also had the collar popped.

Then there was his face again. He was smirking at me and I instantly knew he was laughing at me. I glared at him. There was no way that he could've known I had been (dare I say it) checking him out! I just don't let stuff like that show! Especially since all my friends that I usually hang with are guys (I'm a tomboy, what can I say?) and you just don't let stuff like that show when your friends are assholes that'll tease and taunt and make fun of you for just about anything.

_Maybe he's just cocky._

"So, are you Lyn Zevin?" he asked, his smirk turning into a kid-hearted smile.

_Oh, he knows how to play that game,_ I thought as I recounted numerous times when I angered some one, but then apologized with a sweet and innocent smile. Of course, the person that was angered instantly forgave me, I'm just cute like that. _Being short always did have its advantages._

"Who wants to know?" I ask suspiciously, not knowing whether this guy was to be known as foe or friend. I hadn't even thought to ask myself how he knew my name, shows how prepared to be on my own I was. I raised the kunai, knowing it might not do much good with the major height and muscle difference between us, but hey, it was something wasn't it?

"Whoa, chill, I'm not your enemy," the guy said raising his hands as if to prove his words. I looked at his hands which were gloved in fingerless brown and grey gloves that ended halfway between his elbows and wrists. I also noticed the brown strip that was probably a strap from a bag that was hanging from his shoulder.

"Who are you," I demanded, still not lowering the kunai.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure you'd believe me, nobody ever really does the first time around," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Try me," I said, mostly out of curiosity.

"Okay," he sighed. "Well, I'm Chimata-no-Kami, the god of crossroads, highways, and footpaths, but you can call me Chi if you want," and again he smiled that gorgeous grin of his.

_Great,_ I mentally chuckled; _I think I just met up with a psycho._

"You just thought I was crazy, a psycho, or something similar to that, didn't you," the guy sighed, sweat-dropping. Then he went serious. "Listen, I'm being completely serious, I am a god. Right now, you need to believe me, because you and your friends somehow managed to travel worlds."

I raised an eyebrow, a skeptical look on my face. "We traveled worlds…?"

"Yes, right now, you're in the body of people that are originally from this world, I'm sure you've noticed the change in your appearance, or age, at least."

"Oh, yeah, I've definitely noticed."

"Yes, well, the body you're in, the original girl had a demon in her and she just recently came into contact with the power of that demon. I suspect that somewhere in your world something that took out or placed immense power did so when the child became in touch with the demon's power, thus causing what has happened to happen."

"…Uh…huh…So," I said, trying to myself around what this guy was saying. I know, I should totally be running away screaming my head off while dragging my siblings behind me. Of course, the part where people in the audience of the movie theater were screaming _No! Don't trust him! Run away!_ already passed, so I guess it's too late.

"So, um, what happened to the other kids, the ones that were originally in these bodies?" I asked, getting caught up in his words, looking at myself in disgust. I mean really, ew, I was in somebody else's body! That's like…like…wearing somebody else's underwear right after they have!

"Hm," Chi said, rubbing his chin in thought, "I'm not sure. I can only guess that maybe they've crossed into _your_ world and are now vacating _your_ bodies."

"Oh, ew," I said, getting pissed off. _How dare they get into my body! That's my body dammit! Mine! Wait…there's a six-year old kid in my body! My fourteen-year old body! OMFG!!!_

"So do you believe me?" Chi suddenly asked.

"Huh," I said, confused for a second, "Oh, well, I guess. I mean, look at me, I'm so…small…and...not me…Besides, it's not like I really have anything else to go on," and at that moment, I realized that I kind of **did** believe him.

"Yeah, also, later on, the color of your hair and eyes might change too. The bodies haven't changed in age, because this _is_ their original age, however, they adjusted to your natural hair and skin and eye color to let your soul adjust better with the new body," Chi said, scratching the side of his face with one finger.

"What?" I asked weakly. _But I like the color of my hair, even my normal, almond-shaped, boring, old, brown eyes! I don't know what it'll feel like to have them changed…_

"Yeah," he said and looked at me, wincing, "and sorry, there's nothing I can do. My powers are limited, ya know."

I sighed, trying to hold back all my feelings that had been building up. "Well, when, um, is the change in our appearance gonna happen?"

"Oh, well, I don't know," Chi said, sounding completely surprised.

I sighed once again and rolled my eyes, did he know _anything? _"Well, do you know what we should do now?"

"Who?" Chi asked stupidly, but I must say, he looked positively adorable.

"Ugh," I groaned, "Me and my siblings, my friends over there," I threw a thumb toward my two sleeping companions.

"Oh, right, well, the nearest place of civilization is…" he paused and closed his eyes and a look of concentration came across his face. Then, slowly, his arm lifted and pointed the direction the sun would be rising in soon, "…that way."

"Okay, well, is that a safe place, will we be able to stay there until we find out a way back home?" I asked for the details.

"Well, yeah, I guess, Konoha's a ninja village, but you know, they do pretty well. I'm sure they'd be willing to take in a couple of tykes like you, especially since you guys are pretty much orphans."

_K…Konoha? 'Ninja village?' I-it can't be…can it? _

A thought came across my mind. Okay, actually, there were tons of thoughts racing my mind wanting me to doubt and trust and do all kinds of things, but only a couple stuck out, most of them being questions, and there were only so many I could ask.

"Chi, what happened to their parents, the people that actually belong here?"

Chi grimaced. "I'm not sure, but in this world, so many things are possible. The only thing I can be sure of is that it didn't help for one of their children to hold a bijuu."

"Oh," I said, trying to feel bad, but I couldn't. I just wasn't a really sentimental person, I could be, really, I could understand and feel other's pain so well sometimes that it freaked me out a little, but sometimes I just couldn't. Sometimes, lots of times actually, I felt like laughing at the misfortune of others.

"Chi, is that demon still in this body, or did it travel to my world with the other girl?" I asked timidly, both would be bad answers. I'd either have a demon in me, or there'd be a real demon in my world.

"Oh, well, I don't know," Chi said in a tone as if he were just realizing this. "Let me see," he demanded and he walked toward me and got on his knees. My brow furrowed and I think I blushed as he stared into my eyes. I really wanted to look away, because this seemed like some sort of confrontation, something I don't do well with.

Finally, after a few seconds he got up. "Yup, it's still there. Guess it couldn't travel to your world since it's mainly attached to the body, not the girl's mind and soul."

"Oh," I said, I couldn't tell why, but despite all the voices in my head, I couldn't help but want to trust Chi and believe him.

_Maybe it's because I should? …Wait! What am I saying?! What about all the kidnappings and warnings back at home, am I going to throw that all away just because of my feelings? I've never trusted my feelings before, why start now?_

I didn't get an answer to my question. In the end, I ignored the little voices of doubt, of warning, of fear and decided to actually trust myself, my feelings, my instincts, if only once. It turned out, that was actually a pretty good decision.

"Well," Chi spoke and I looked up at him, "I'm gonna get going, the sun's starting to rise and I wanna get back home to talk to the other's by nightfall."

"You-you're leaving me—us—here?" I asked, becoming aware as to how much I had grown to like him in such a short time. Maybe it was his personality or something, but there's was just something in the air around him that made you want to scream _Be my friend and don't ever leave me!_

Chi chuckled at me, "Don't worry, just get to Konoha and you'll be fine," he said and adjusted the brown bag on his shoulder. "Just go that way, and don't worry, we'll see each other again, Lyn, I'm sure of it."

He winked at me. I rolled my eyes, but smiled and waved as he walked away.

_I probably shouldn't believe him, but I do. Well, I always wanted a little adventure, right?_


	3. Chapter 3

**So.Just.Smile:** Hm, can't think of anything right now that might need to be known, so...Chapter Three!

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**  
Chapter Three:** Say Hello 

_Travelers never think that __**they**__ are the foreigners.  
_-Mason Clooney

Almost as soon as we woke up, Lyn got us up and going. At first, I had doubts that she knew where she was leading us and that she may have just picked a random direction for us to walk in, but after a few minutes, I realized that she _did_ know where she was going. That sent me into thought. How did she know to go this way? Where did 'this way' lead to?

I looked at my younger sister, Kayla. She walked in front of me, but behind Lyn who was leading. She had her arms folded, holding herself in a hug. She kept her eyes on the ground, but she was capable of watching Lyn's feet to know where to go, or so I presumed seeing as she didn't get off track whenever Lyn walked around a tree or bush.

Lyn, she had hardly given us any time to wake up. We didn't really want to leave the clearing, especially Kayla, not really. It seemed safer to stay there than walk randomly around the forest searching for some sort of town or city that might not be anywhere. Lyn had simply given us a glance, and then began walking off, only telling us to follow her.

I looked over to where Lyn was right now. She had her hands in her pockets, the thumbs of her hands hooked onto the pockets of her jacket. She had her head back, eyes closed, letting the increasing sunshine fall through the holes of the tree branches onto her face. She looked perfectly happy.

I hated her for that.

How could she just be there, walking so idly, as if we were taking a walk through the park? Why wasn't she freaking out? Even Kayla and I were showing how freaked out we were, or a bit of it. We tended to try to cover up our emotions as much as possible when in public. That's just the way we were, all of us, especially Lyn.

But this case seemed different; we were out in the freaking wilderness. And not just some sort of park with a small area of condensed trees, the real freaking wild! I know, I had checked.

_Then again, I hadn't wandered that far from that clearing,_ I thought a bit angrily to myself. But who would've, if they were in my situation? Who knows what sort of animals or people could be stalking us. Besides, it's not like we could do a very good job what with being only two and half feet tall. But still, Lyn was walking there so casually, so unwary, while Kayla and I twitched and grimaced at every suspicious sound.

_Why is she acting like that?_ I thought angrily and suddenly a memory filled my mind.

_We were in the living, watching a scary movie that would surely keep us up late that night. I grimaced as the hero went back to save his friends. Sure, he would probably beat the monster that was terrifying and killing all his family and friends, that's the way the movies went, but there was always the nagging thought at the back of your mind: What if he didn't? I looked over at my sister, who was actually grinning, but then her jaw slacked as she saw the disgusting creature get killed._

"_Ew," I heard her whisper as her nose scrunched up in disgust. I took a furtive glance at the television screen and then instantly looked away._

"_Hey, Lyn," I called, "what would you do if that were you?"_

_She looked at me with a rather bored look that showed a hint of interest. "What, you mean if I was that dude?" she asked, pointing to the hero of the movie._

_I nodded, "Yeah."_

"_Tch," she smirked, "I'd high-tail it out of there. Fuck my friends; I'd be half way out of the state."_

"_What about us, if we were there, your family?" I tried again._

_Her brow furrowed as she began to think. Finally, she looked back up at me, "Well, I suppose I would attempt to save you all, but if the chances weren't in my favor, I'd probably leave you all." She smiled._

I looked away. Would she really leave us behind just to save herself?

--Lyn--

I yawned, the fatigue finally catching up to me. Sure, I stayed up for two-whole days straight a lot, but it was still tiring and the following night I would usually end up sleeping ten to twelve hours straight. Maybe that was why I didn't hear the footsteps, it's not like they were trying to be quiet or anything and it's not like they were making a huge ruckus, but I think that if I had been paying more attention or were more awake, I may have heard him.

I had my head down, staring at the ground. My eyes were slowly dropping more and more, but I kept fighting, widening them to full extent. I couldn't wait till I reached my high. There were always a few moments of time that, after staying up for so many hours, I would go a little cuckoo during, but at least I was usually more alert and awake.

He stopped when he saw us. He stared when he saw us. I held his gaze. He didn't look away. Then he did to look at the others. He hesitated, it seemed, before speaking.

"Who are you?" he asked in a not mean voice but not exactly nice one either.

I sighed and rubbed the lids of my eyes after I closed them. "So tired," I muttered. "Hi, listen," I said, decided to play the role of my age, "I'm not allowed to talk to strangers, but maybe if you introduced yourself first, then the rule will be excused."

He stared at me a mix of confusion and suspicion playing across his face. "Just answer the question kid: who are you?"

"Well, who the hell are you?" I retorted, getting slightly pissed, partly because he wouldn't do what I wanted, but mostly because I was tired as hell at the moment.

"I asked you first," he said, reverting to childish ways, losing the cold look. I raised an eyebrow.

_I can be just as childish._

"Doesn't matter, I asked you second!" I glared at him slightly.

"Well, for the time being, I am of a higher rank than you, being a chuunin of Konoha, thus you have to answer to me," he stated smugly.

"Konoha?" I repeated in question form dumbly. Had we made it that fast? I thought it would have taken so much longer to arrive at our destination. I took a second to glance at my siblings behind me. They looked completely confused. I looked back at the man to take a view of the man's attire.

_Chuunin clothes, okay. And damn, __**they**__ don't know about Chi or what he told me. Damn, that just might pose a problem._ I thought, thinking of my ignorant siblings.

"Yes, Konoha. I'm a sentry, scouting the area, as is done regularly in case of intruders. Although no one ever really tries to sneak in," the onyx-eyed man said haughtily. "Are you kids going to answer my questions or not?"

I just sighed and buried my head into my rather small, but proportioned to my body, hands. I was just so tired; all I wanted to do was drop to the floor and go to sleep. I didn't really care if there was gonna be a rock or something, I just wanted some sleep. Why couldn't this day have been smooth and less troublesome?

_Heh, troublesome. Shikamaru. Funny how whenever I say that word or even think it Shikamaru comes into my head. _I gave a small smile, though no one could see it with my head in my hands.

I guess that the guy was a bit ticked off that we weren't answering, because he gave an exasperated sigh and seemed to call for backup.

_Backup, right, because he's gonna need help to take down three kids that are only about three feet tall,_ I though sarcastically, rolling my eyes._ As if I wasn't short enough before,_ the temperamental side of me growled.

"Hey, Masaru, you there?" he said into some sort of walkie-talkie. There was a reply, but I couldn't make out the words.

"Yeah, I found some kids over here, no older than six. I think they got lost or something, but they won't answer my questions. Come over here and help me take 'em back to the village."

Another reply that I couldn't hear and then the raven-haired man answered, "Alright, see ya in a minute."

I lowered my hands and looked up at the man with a bored expression on my face. There was also a slight hint of annoyance and anger. I counted the seconds before another person appeared. He was a guy too, but looked completely different compared to his dark-eyed, dark-haired partner.

This guy was in his late teens to early twenties, just like his companion, but his looks contrasted very much so. Instead of having dark looks, this guy was bright, just like his personality as I learned later. He had light brown hair that would change to a shade of orange and red sometimes when the sunlight hit it just right. He also had purple eyes that seemed brown sometimes. This guy was also dressed in the average chuunin clothes.

_I guess this guy is Masaru, that's what the first guy said, right?_

"So, Ryo, are these the kids you were talking about?" he said, a friendly grin plastered on his tan face.

"Yeah," Ryo said, not smiling, rather, he was frowning. He looked bored and annoyed, too.

_I suppose if I were in his position, I might feel the same way. I suppose I can't really make any judgments without truly knowing him. Damn._

That's the thing about me. The whole 'don't judge a book by its cover?' Yeah, I go by that. Also, the one that goes: 'imagine yourself in their shoes, how would you feel.' Half the time, I can't seem to get by that one either. The other half of the time I just lose that moral and get to a point of not giving a shit it scares me. But then I stop caring. Until my feelings of caring come back, that is.

"Well, they're a bunch of cuties, aren't they," the second guy said, bending down to my eye level. My eye twitched involuntarily.

_Cuties? O…kay…_ I gave myself a once over and realized, yeah, I was kinda cute. My friends had always told me that I just had that pure 'innocent look.' Then they said that I was anything but and that my cuteness was just a cover-up for all the evil I held in me.

Despite the fact that I wanted to smile and look innocent and cute and adorable, like I usually did, I remained stoic, retaining an evil sort of cute. Though I suppose my look didn't put off this shinobi, what was his name again, Masaru? Yeah, Masaru, that's it.

"So, what're we doing with 'em, Ryo?" Masaru smiled. He stood back up with his hands on either of his hips, looking at the first guy, Ryo, expectantly.

Ryo sighed and brought his hand up to his head and gave a small scratch. "I don't know. Let's just get them to the village, and then I guess we can take them to the Hokage, maybe he'll get some answers out of them."

"All right-y," Masaru grinned. After that one word was spoken, they pounced. Masaru and Ryo turned and advanced on us. Masaru, being the closest, instantly grabbed me. He held me on his hip for a second, but then I began to struggle, so he flipped me onto his shoulder, where I continued to struggle to no avail.

Masaru turned around and started walking. Behind us, I saw my brother and sister picked up by Ryo. Neither bothered to put up a real fight. I finally sighed and stopped struggling; all it was doing was causing me discomfort because of Masaru's bony fucking shoulder.

It was a matter of minutes till we reached the village, because these two seemed to be traveling at a nearly inhuman speed, at least from my point of view. I watched wide eyed from my 'seat' as we traveled from the rooftops, so as to avoid the eyes of onlookers. The site of this city was amazing. It was Konoha!

The magical realism part of me was thinking: _OMG, we're really in Konoha!_

The rational and logical and slightly controlling part of me was thinking: _THIS KIND OF SHIT ONLY HAPPENS IN STORIES! FANFICTIONS, GOD DAMN IT ALL! I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS HAPPENING!_

The adventurous and slightly hyper and insane part of me was going: _Yeah! After so many times of wishing, fianlly, an adventure! Wahoo! Let's rock this world!_

And my inner fangirl? Well, that part was in a state of shock, something I was glad for, I usually kept her lock up. What? I'm not the only one who does it! We all know how dangerous they can be.

Anyway, those four are usually the biggest voices, of course, this time the fangirl was excluded due to her silent amazement, but there were some others. Finally, I just shut all my thoughts out and calmly watched the scenery we passed, giggling every once in a while as the wind passed by me so quickly. I couldn't help, it was fun, like some ride at the carnival.

In just about twenty minutes, possibly less, we reached a building. I couldn't really see what the hell was going, nor could I see where Masaru was going, I could only see where he had been. He stopped to talk to a lady at some desk, a secretary, I guess, and then proceeded to another room.

Ryo, who had been in back came up from behind then and walked in front on Masaru. I tried to twist and turn to get a better look at what was in the room, but Masaru had a tight hold on me. Giving an exasperated sigh, I spoke to him.

"Look, I'm not going to run away or anything. Do you think I could actually get away anyway? Besides, I wouldn't leave my brother or sister behind. All I want is to get a better look at what's happening," I said, looking at him with a bored, yet hopeful expression.

Masaru sighed and loosened his grip on me a bit. I grinned and crawled to where I was sitting on his shoulders. He put a firm grip on my legs, so as to keep me from falling and trying to escape. I held onto his head, so as to not fall off and to keep myself balanced. Being this small was actually kind of fun, especially when you could appreciate it.

"Ryo, good afternoon, what brings you here?" an old guy said.

I stared at the man a little longer before my eyes widened.

"Well, Hokage-sama—"

"Hey, you're the Hokage!" I said in surprise, pointing at him. Yeah, I'm a bit slow when I'm about to drop into a hardcore coma-like sleep any second. Anyway, Sarutobi smiled and gave a chuckle while he nodded his head. I smiled back. When people smile or laugh, I can't help but do the same…most of the time.

"Anyway," Ryo said, sending me a _slightly_ poisonous look, "we found these children close to the gate, Hokage-sama."

The Hokage nodded and looked us over. When he glanced at me, I held his gaze for just a second, before chickening out and looking away. He didn't look much like he did on TV, but there were similarities, yes, and there was just an air around him that seemed to say exactly who he was. The Third then gave a signal with his hand for Ryo to continue.

"Well, they wouldn't answer any of our questions, so we brought them here, for you to decide what to do with them," Ryo said, finishing his report.

"Ryo, Masaru, would you excuse us for a few minutes? I would like to speak to these children alone, if you wouldn't mind," the Third asked.

Both ninja nodded and I felt Masaru's hands wrap around my small waist and set me on the ground. I watched the Third closely. He didn't look angry or anything, which sort of made me feel a little better. Just a little. This felt like being called to the principal's room and not knowing why. I felt a tingle of fear at the thought of not knowing what was going to happen, but squashed the feeling and tried to stay as impassive as I could.

--Josh--

Not even five minutes of talking occurred before Lyn asked for us to wait outside. I scowled, but didn't say anything. Both Kayla and I had mutely agreed that Lyn would be the leader of our small group, a long time ago, too. Still, I couldn't keep the scowl from my face. Lyn saw me, I'm sure, but she just kept that emotionless look on her face, turning away from me after one glance.

I sat beside Kayla on some chairs outside the Hokage's office. Those guys were still there, Ryo and Masaru. And what was this of 'Hokage'? Hokage is something within a little TV show, a bunch of drawings placed into motion, how could there be a real Hokage?

_Unless someone is pulling a very elaborate prank,_ I thought stupidly. No, no one would ever play such a trick on us. I even saw the city when we were making our way here; I even saw the mountain with the Hokage on it. _Wait, what am I saying? That this is real, that we somehow came to the world of Naruto?_

Lyn, she seemed to know something. She just seemed to know about some stuff, it was the way she reacted to what had just happened to us in the last thirty minutes. I couldn't tell why, but I could just sense it for some reason. Usually I might not have, but she wasn't trying that hard to cover it up. But I'd have to wait; I wasn't one for public confrontations. I don't think Lyn was either. So, I would wait till we were alone, and then start asking questions.

I grimaced as the Masaru guy started going on about how adorable and chibi-like we were._ For now,_ _all I can do is waiting…What's a chibi?_

--Lyn--

As soon as the doors shut behind Joshua and Mikayla, I sighed and then yawned. I looked around the room and then at the actual Hokage, the Third, Sarutobi. He didn't seem like he was in hurry, so I waited patiently until he would start asking questions, all the while trying to figure out what I should say.

_Damn,_ I thought angrily. _I can't think of a cover story._

I looked up from the floor as I heard Sarutobi clear his throat. "Well, would you like to tell me who you are?"

I stared for a second, my tired mind not understanding the question for a second, "Lyn."

"That's it?" He raised an eyebrow.

"For now, yes," I gave a curt nod.

"Very well," he negotiated. "Where are you from, Lyn?"

My brow furrowed. "I…I don't know."

He stared for a second before nodding his acceptance.

"Do you know where your parents are, or of any other relatives of any kind?"

I slowly shook my head, "My parents…I think they're…gone. I don't know about anyone else." My eyes watered and I started to realize how much I missed my real parents. What were they doing right now, how were they reacting to the other children inside our bodies, could they tell the difference?

Sarutobi sighed, "All right then. Well, I suppose that means that we'll have to make arrangements for you, won't we?"

"You're not…you're not suspicious or anything?" I asked, a bit confused and curious.

"Well, why would I be?" he chuckled.

I shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe it's just me. I'm not so great at trusting people."

"Ah, well, maybe, in time, you can change that," he smiled kindly. "Now, are the other two children friends of yours or family?"

"Family," I said, "they're my brother and sister, Josh and Kayla."

"Well, I suppose, considering that you're orphans, from what you're telling me, so I suppose that means that we can place you in the orphanage"—

I cut him off. "Um, sir, an orphanage? Doesn't that mean that we have the possibility of being adopted?"

"Yes," he nodded, not comprehending my interruption.

"Well," I started of shakily, but then threw away the feelings that were making me shy and quiet, "sir, I can't allow that. Being there would also give the chance of me being separated from my siblings. I can't let that happen, I won't ever let that happen."

His eyes widened a bit, and then they filled with understanding and compassion. "Of course, I wouldn't want that to happen. They're all you've got, aren't they?"

I clenched my jaw and nodded with a look of set determination on my childish face.

"I understand. I suppose I could place you with a foster family, there aren't many, but the few there are simply love children. They wouldn't separate you. Would that be all right?" he asked, looking for my approval, something I was grateful for.

I took a moment to thin and figured that, yes that would be better than the orphanage. So, I nodded, "Yes that will do just fine."

He nodded with a smile. "I'm glad we've settled that. Now, since you're new to Konoha, that's the village you're in, I call you in a few days to settle some other issues. For now, if you could call in the others, Lyn."

I smiled, nodded, and did so.

Maybe things weren't going to be as bad as I thought.

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**  
So.Just.Smile:** I know it's really sort of boring right now, but I just don't think I should rush the stuff. Don't worry, the childhood will pass by in just a few chapters…maybe…But after that it's probably smooth sailing, mostly following the original storyline. Of course, as all stories with OC's, there will also be a lot of AU. Okay, well, bye now. :) 


	4. Chapter 4

**So.Just.Smile:** Ugh, finally, I updated _something_. So, this chapter, I believe, is mostly filler, but erm...Okay, so, I have no excuse for that, blame the writer's block. Anyway, I think the next chapter will bring back my muse: Charlie, he's been vacationing in Hawaii. Anyway, on to teh chapter!

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**  
Chapter Four:** It's Not Home 

_Home is where we tie one end of the thread of life.  
_-Martin Buxbaum

Their names were Toyama Yoshito and Tomoko. They seemed nice, but it looked like they were trying too hard, I could see that even in my tired state of mind. I couldn't tell if I would like them or not, because I was so sleepy, so I decided not to place any real judgment on them until after a good night's rest.

Toyama Tomoko was a small, petite woman, only about five feet and three inches tall. She had long ebony hair that reached her lower back which she kept in a loose ponytail at the base of her neck. Her dark chocolate eyes were wide as she looked us over with curiosity. She wore a pink kimono that had white flowers scattered around it, it was tied with a grey obi.

Toyama Yoshito wasn't as small; he was good five feet and seven inches tall. To me, a kid that's only three feet tall, that was pretty big. He wore a white t-shirt with a black jacket over it, accompanied by black pants. He had short dark brown hair along with hazel eyes that watched us from behind his wife, Tomoko.

They also had one other kid, a three-year old girl that they adopted named Emi. They all lived in a small three bedroom apartment. Apparently, Josh and I would share a room, Emi and Kayla would share a room, and Tomoko and Yoshito had their room.

I had no idea how we were all going to survive, but I would figure that out later, right now, all I wished for was a bed, any bed; hell, I'd have slept on a carpeted floor right about now and be in heaven. My eyes kept drooping shut as we walked to their apartment and kept walking in wavy lines instead of straight ones. I could have been mistaken for being drunk. If I didn't go to bed right now, I knew I'd end up with a high, the point in which I awake for a small period of time, although I end up being insanely hyper and unbelievably chirpy and bipolar.

Eventually, after only exiting the Hokage's building, Tomoko bend down to my eye level with a worried look in her eyes and asked, "Lyn, dear, are you all right?"

I nodded with a yawn, "I'm just tired, and I haven't slept in nearly two days."

"Oh, dear, why not?" she asked and I mentally banged my head on a brick wall, willing for her to shut up and just take me to a bed.

"Because it was just us three," I pointed at my siblings, "in a forest last night, and someone had to keep watch," I mumbled irately.

"Oh, that's so sweet and brave," and then she was choking me.

_Oh, no, wait, this is a hug._ I suddenly realized.

She let go and then asked Yoshito to carry me the rest of the way home. I was upset for a few minutes, but after resting in his arms, I didn't complain anymore, it was so much better than walking on my own. I just stared at the sky as Yoshito carried me like a baby, which is what I may as well be.

Eventually, I fell asleep and woke up in a bed.

--Josh--

Eventually we made it to the apartment. It was a big building, at least fifteen stories tall. They lived on the fourteenth floor. I sighed again, something I was doing a lot of lately. Once we entered the apartment, Yoshito carried Lyn to a room, a room I later learned to be our bedroom, that's right: our. We had to share a bedroom, the last time Lyn and I had shared a bedroom we were six- and eight-years old.

First, Tomoko showed us around, which didn't take very long considering the size of the apartment. There was the kitchen which held in it a few cabinets, a stove, a fridge, and a table with some chairs. Following that was the living room which was just a small room with a sofa and a TV. After that came the bathroom, and then finally our bedrooms. I saw a little lump lying under the covers of one of the twin size beds, the other one was unoccupied.

I asked Tomoko, then, where the other child, Emi, was. She smiled and said that she was being babysat by a friend of hers, and then she continued to go on about how thoughtful I was. I raised an eyebrow, I'd just been curious; it wasn't like I was worried.

I sighed again. Now she wanted us to watch TV together. It was a children's show, something probably meant for someone that was our age physically, but definitely not mentally. I grabbed the remote and changed it to a channel that was similar to Animal Planet.

"Oh, do you like this channel, Josh?" Tomoko asked, surprised. I smiled as I nodded yes. She smiled back. "I'm surprised; lots of other children your age wouldn't like watching something like this."

I nodded, not really paying attention to her. I glanced at the clock. It was only six thirty seven. I still had three more hours before Tomoko would leave me alone when I went to bed.

_Damn._ I sighed again. Why did Lyn have to leave me here to deal with Tomoko alone?

--Lyn--

My eyes opened wide and searched for any indication as to where I was which was a bit difficult seeing as it was so dark. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust, and in those seconds, I remembered having fallen asleep, and concluded that they had placed me in this bed upon reaching their apartment.

My head turned as they caught the shallow, quiet, and rhythmic sound of someone breathing. I squinted as I searched through the darkness. I finally spotted a bed. As I rose to get a look at who the other person was, I rubbed at my sleep encrusted eyes. After spotting my brother sleeping peacefully, I walked out the bedroom door, wincing when it squeaked quite loudly.

I looked down the hallway I had just entered. To my left was just one door at the very end of the hallway; to my right was just open space that led into what appeared to be some sort of living room. I went right. I plopped onto the pink sofa, getting into a comfortable position, and then grabbed a remote control from a small coffee table in front of me.

I pressed the power button and the TV at the corner of the room came to life. I lowered the volume, quickly, to a point that I could still hear it, but was sure that others in the back of the apartment couldn't. I took a quick glance at the digital clock that lay atop the TV. In glowing red numbers, it read 4:31. I quickly started channel surfing to see what was on this early in the morning.

_Hm, okay, here we go. Commercial, paid-programming, commercial, commercial, paid-programming, no, no, boring, no, commercial, paid-programming, boring, no, no, boring…_

I sighed as I turned off the television. It was completely obvious that nothing was on at this time. So, instead, I got up and walked to the kitchen, knowing that I only felt like eating something because I was so bored. But, that was ousted too when I couldn't decide what to eat. I sighed and went back to the living to sit on the sofa. On the way, I passed a door.

I walked backwards, to get a better look. It had a peephole at the top, so I figured that this was the front door. Looking down the hallway behind me to see if anyone was there, I quickly grinned. No, no one was there, and it didn't seem like anyone was going to be waking up soon.

Slowly, I unlocked the door and opened it. I tiptoed out of the room and silently closed the door again. I worried about whether I should search for a key to take with me and lock the door while I was gone, just in case, but quickly shrugged the thought away, knowing that that would take far too much time and that I might not even find the key.

I looked up and down the new hallway I had just entered. There were doors spread out evenly on either side of the walls and at the very end of each side of the hallway were stairwells. I raised an eyebrow and went left, choosing the stairway that was closest. Once on the stairs, I gripped the railings and looked down.

I gave a short whistle as I saw how far down it was. At least you'd get some exercise going up and down those stairs. But I wasn't in the mood for such a work out right now, so I looked up. There was much less stairs that way, so that's were I went: up.

The next floor, I found, was the last floor. I sighed in frustration and was just about to start heading back to the apartment when I spotted a smaller set of stairs leading upward. Curious, I followed them to a door with a sign on it that read in big, bold letters: ROOF. I immediately grinned and pushed the door opened, hesitating to go outside in case some sort of alarm started going off.

A minute passed and no alarm had yet to go off, so I figured it was safe to go to the roof. I walked outside and was instantly met with a cool late night/early morning breeze. I looked up at the sky, hoping that it would be filled with stars, the way I had always pictured the Konoha night sky to look, but it wasn't. It was just like home, with all the night lights on in Konoha, only the brightest stars were capable of being seen, although there were more to see here than there had been in the sky at home.

I stayed there for a while, just thinking about lots of things and nothing. It varied. I thought about home, mostly, my parents, my friends and school. I cried a little. When the sky finally started to lighten, I decided to make my way back to the apartment. Nobody was awake when I got back. I was actually sort of hungry now, too, so I decided to make myself some breakfast.

--Kayla--

My nose twitched and I opened my eyes as wide as they would allow me to. I scrunched my face up, wondering what had woken me, because I had been having a very strange dream, strange, but funny and interesting. I sighed. I couldn't even remember it now, only the feelings that I felt throughout it.

I sighed and inhaled a deep breath, which broke into a yawn. My nose twitched again, and I took a sniff at the air. There was a strange smell filling the room and my mind instantly went into thought of what it could be.

_Smells like…bacon…and something else._

Wait, bacon? That meant someone was cooking breakfast. My stomach growled. Hm, I was hungry. I smiled and instantly hopped out of bed. I looked around the room and saw the other bed. I already knew that it held the small form of a three year-old named Emi that had been carried home, already asleep, after a long day at the park.

I walked out the open door and into the hallway. The smell was stronger, grew so more as I continued to the kitchen. There I found Lyn, humming to herself as she stood on a chair to reach the stove, as she flipped some food from a pan to a plate. I eagerly took a seat at the small rectangular table. I watched her for a few more second, trying to figure out what she was cooking, what she was humming, and what the hell she was doing up so early. Usually, no matter what time she went to bed, she woke up last.

_The only time she's ever up this early is if she didn't go to bed at all,_ I contemplated.

"What are cooking?" I asked, already grinning as I expected her to jump and shriek at realizing I was here.

"Food," she replied, not facing me. I frowned. How had she known I was here?

"What type of food?" I continued, brushing away the disappointment I had gained from not being able to scare her. There are few moments when Lyn ever gets shocked or scared or surprised and I always enjoyed the few moments there were. It was funny to see her so unnerved for some reason.

"Good food," she replied again, in the same tone of voice that screamed out 'leave-me-alone.'

"Be more specific," I whined. I heard her give an exasperated sigh over the sizzle of something she just placed onto a black pan and grinned. Annoying her was also fun.

"Bacon, eggs, some pancakes, both chocolate chip and regular," she muttered to me. I was already drooling as my stomach made another growl.

Lyn finally turned to look at me, her small face smirking. It looked strange on her face, which looked so childish. It still made me doubt that this was my sister; my sister who was always at least five years older than and always looked so. To see her looking so young, it just confused and frustrated me to no end. The same went for my brother, who was two years older than me. But now, they both looked like six-year olds.

_What about me?_ I began to ponder; _do they see me as differently as I see them?_

I delved so far into my mind, simply flowing through the countless thoughts, ideas, and questions that had come up ever since the de-aging event that I didn't even notice the plate that was placed in front of me. Suddenly, there was a pair of small fingers snapping in front of my face. I blinked.

"Hurry up, eat," Lyn ordered as she walked out of the kitchen. I blinked again and looked down at my plate. There were two chocolate chip pancakes, one sunny-side up egg, and a strip of bacon, oh, and a glass of orange to the side. I grabbed the fork next to the plate and began to dig in.

--Josh--

There was a certain smell in the air and I could already feel myself waking from what I realized to be dreams. Then there was something shaking my shoulder, the vibrations traveling through my whole body. I quickly got up; thinking that I may have slept in and that we might be late for school.

_Wait, it's summer_, I suddenly realized and then a second later,_ and we're not even at home._

I cracked my eyes open and found my sister, Lyn looking at me. Sure, she looked different, but she was still Lyn and I quickly got used to her 'new look.' She was still wearing her black hoodie—unzipped—with a plain black shirt underneath and a pair of jeans. I had no idea how our clothes had come to fit us like this and at first it kind of freaked me out, but I quickly brushed the thoughts aside, because it wasn't one of the most important.

"What?" I yawn as I begin to rub away my sleep encrusted eyes with my knuckle.

"I made breakfast," she said with a blank face. Sure, Lyn was sometimes the most stoic person I ever knew, but most of the time she was just Lyn—hyper, loud, fun-loving—but as of lately, she'd been less herself, more reserved and quiet, calculating, I suppose.

I nodded, "Okay."

"…"

"Are you going to come and eat or just sit there like the idiot you are?" she said, a smirk coming to her face.

"Oh," I said, scrambling out of bed and started following her out the room, "I'm not an idiot."

"Maybe not," she said as we walked down the hallway, I could just se the smirk playing on her face, "but you sure are slow."

All I did was glare at her back. It was too early to try and get revenge for words that didn't even bother me.

--Lyn--

That morning, Tomoko and Yoshito woke up and came into the kitchen with their adopted daughter, Emi, following behind them. Both of them held surprised looks and both started to comment on how good my cooking was once they found out it was I that cooked it. Like I normally did when it came to comments on my superiority, I sucked up their praises, but didn't show it with anything but a smile. I always liked being praised. It made me feel like I was good at something, but that doesn't mean I ever let it show.

I thought, at that moment, that we'd get along okay, that everything would be okay if I could just keep my siblings and everyone else happy. Boy was I wrong. Yoshito was easy, because he was always working at some place I never bothered to find out about. Tomoko, on the other hand, was a stay-at-home mother.

No matter how much I tried, I couldn't keep Tomoko happy like I would normally be capable of. It was her…everything. She was too perky for my taste, sure, I had friends that were like her, they were nice to have around for a good laugh, but I wasn't around them _all_ the time like I was with Tomoko. Her constant trying to make me like her, I think that was really got to me. It always ticked me off when people tried too hard.

And Tomoko tried _way_ too hard.

Then again, maybe I didn't try hard enough.

----

My eyes widened. How had he noticed? My brother was never one to be too perceptive of his surroundings.

"Come on Lyn," he whispered heatedly inside 'our' room. "I know you know something, something about what's happened. It's about all this Hokage and ninja business, what's up with that?! This is _not_ a TV show, nor is this one of your little fanfictions, tell me what you know!"

He blinked his light brown eyes and I could see his emotions so clearly: hurt and anger.

_Strange,_ I mused, _I've never been able to see emotions like this before. What's happening?_

"Okay, yeah, I know some stuff, but so what?" I said nonchalantly. Truth was, I wasn't sure if I should tell him what I know, not even what I 'know', but what I _think_ I 'know.'

His eyes narrowed and his fist curled into small fists, "Don't do that, Lyn! Don't play with me! Can't you just be serious and honest for once?! Don't be such a brat!"

My eyes widened. Sure, I've angered my brother plenty of times; it's practically my job to annoy the hell out of him, but never before had I seen him so angry, so serious. So I blinked and looked at him blankly, my previous demeanor of carelessness vanished, replaced by solemnity.

"Okay, Josh," I said calmly, "what do you want to know?"

And so he asked his questions and I answered them—some of which, well, no, most of which were half-truths, but he didn't know that. He accepted my answers and replies without hesitation, something I secretly mocked, laughed, and scolded him for.

---

It's only been two days, but I feel so homesick. I think I might be depressed. God, I hope not, 'cause that would really suck, I always hated those people, seriously, it was like, get over it.

_I wonder if they say Kami here, instead of God._ Well, that certainly was random, maybe I wasn't depressed.

I sighed. I was in 'my' room in 'my' bed, trying to sleep, but I couldn't. The past two to three days kept replaying themselves within my head and I couldn't get it to stop. I kept changing little parts of the 'movies' and making alternate endings, but I knew that it wasn't true.

_I guess you've gotta face it,_ I told myself bluntly, _this isn't home and you might never get home, deal with it, Lyn_

_

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**So.Just.Smile:**Okay, there it is, sorry it's shorter than usual, and if you couldn't tell, well, I just told you it was. Anywho, I'm _thinking_ of changing some things, like Tomoko's daughters, I'm not completely sure yet, but just warning you so that you won't be confused if I do change anything. Well, till next time.

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	5. Chapter 5

**So.Just.Smile:** Yay, finally, I actually updated. Isn't it amazing how I have no life, yet I still find a way _not_ to update? Yes, the powers of procrastination are an amazing thing. Anyway, if any of you read it, I've got a bit of a problem with writer's block with my story 'So Open Your Eyes.' I'm still kind of hoping that I might get the next chapter out by this week, but chances are I won't till next. Anywho, enough of me wasting your time, onto the chappie!

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**Chapter Five:** Far Too Different 

_We boil at different degrees.  
_-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Seven days was all it took.

One week.

_Ha,_ I had thought to myself randomly, _The Ring, seven days to live, seven days to survive._ Then I shivered and tried to get that memory out of my head because that movie kind of freaked me out and now I sort of watched the TV screens that I passed by, making sure that they didn't mysteriously turn on.

Anyway, I dubbed day one: Stage One – Shock and Denial.

Because that's the first stage in the five stages of grief and it had finally hit us that we _weren't_ home. Not only that, but we didn't even have a clue as to how to get home. So, after breakfast, which had actually been nice and happy, Josh, Kayla and I sort of quieted down. We sort of stayed near each other the entire day, which was a bit abnormal for us considering we're are more of the loner types.

Just like the nickname suggested, I think we were all a bit shocked. I think that somewhere, we were all in a bit of denial. Because somewhere, inside were no one could tell, where they couldn't see or hear, we were hoping against all odds that this was a dream, that this wasn't real, that we could get back home, that we could be normal again.

_At least,_ I had thought at the end of the day, _Tomoko seems kind of nice. And now I don't Josh and Kayla know about Chi…I'm still not sure whether or not he's gonna be mad that I told them about him._

I named day two: Stage Two – Anger: Volatile Actions.

Because that's pretty much what went on during the whole day. We were all pretty much explosive, Josh, Mikayla and I. Of course, being the older, more composed of the three, I was capable of being less volatile and violent.

My siblings, however, angered over the silliest things that day and strangely, it reminded me of home. It would begin with Josh and Kayla simply starting verbally and before they could get physically violent, I would come in and say something either remarkably funny or incredibly stupid (or sometimes both) where upon we would all start laughing our asses off and the cycle would begin once again within the next twenty minutes.

I think it gave us a feeling of normalcy and so that's why we did it. Because at home, that's probably how we would've been acting. Maybe the anger spouts and rather loud arguments wouldn't have such short intervals and there wouldn't have been so many conflicts in that one day, but that's how it would've been.

I called day three: Stage Three – Bargaining: All of the Above.

Oh ho, my brother, how sad he is indeed. Throughout this entire day, he badgered at me that maybe 'my God friend' could find a way home for us. It came to a point where I finally shouted at him to just shut the hell up, where he became angered with me. Not too soon after, punches were being thrown and we were 'escorted' out of the store we had been occupying.

Later, Tomoko scolded us. We had been at the grocery store, shopping for food. After our little verbal spout had been put to stop by Tomoko in aisle 5, we had started pushing and glaring at each other every chance we got. By the time we were in aisle 7, we had started shoving each other to the ground and against the shelves. The real kicks and punches were finally released on aisle 8, where employees came and 'escorted' us outside.

After we returned back to Tomoko's home, Josh and I were sent to 'our' room where we apologized, but continued to ignore the each other's existence. At dinner, Tomoko and Yoshito had a short, boring talk about how disappointed they were in our behavior today, but that they would let it slide because of what we had been through before we had come to stay with them. Oddly, I found myself not giving a rat's ass about what they thought of me. Normally, I was self-conscience and constantly seeking the approval of others, mainly because I had a reputation as the smart, well-behaved, straight-A child. It was refreshing to not care what someone else thought about me, to not have to keep up my image.

I labeled day four: Depression – Disorganization and Despair.

Because that's how we acted the entire day: totally and entirely depressed. By now, I had begun to wonder if we were actually going through those five stages of acceptance or grief or whatever it's called, I couldn't remember at the time. But then, I decided, I didn't really care either way.

The entire day was filled with heart-longing sigh and silent cries. Unshed tears and empty smiles were what we showed the world. Oh, and Tomoko's worried and hesitant looks did not go unnoticed by me while she took care of the youngest child, Emi, until she sent her to a friend's place, that is. I guess she didn't want us depressing her kid with our own sad demeanors.

I guess we were kind of okay that day, especially since there were no fights or arguments. Nor did we break anything that day like we had the previous four. It was rather peaceful and I suppose you could have called it rather nice if you hadn't been at our place. It was like there was this dark, foreboding cloud of depression all around.

I nicknamed day five: Acceptance –Reorganization and Adjustment.

Because we sort of healed and got over what had happened. We smiled a lot more and played a lot more. We even bonded with Tomoko and Emi and Yoshito. Sort of…

I still sort of kept my distance. I just couldn't get myself to trust them; there had always been this layer of distrust between me and the world and it hadn't disappeared. Josh and Kayla, however, seemed to adjust quite well and appeared to be quite comfortable.

I found myself being quite envious of them. Why were they capable of being so carefree? How come I couldn't move on and get over everything? Why was this being so hard! I should've been able to get over; I should've been the first to be okay!

But I'm not. Not really. I don't think I'll ever really be okay. Someplace, inside, I think there's always going to be a crack, a spot that is irreversibly damaged. Maybe, hopefully, though, I can learn to live with that.

I declared day six to be known as: Chaos – Pure and Simple.

And it was. I had finally started to loosen up and think that I might be getting over what had happened. I started smiling real smiles a lot more and laughing real laughs and joking around with my siblings and Emi. I found that Tomoko could be rather annoying, very actually, but if I ignored her hard enough, I could get over it.

But that day, she asked too many questions and tried far too hard to try to get to 'know me.' So, after our little game of twenty billion questions was over, I took out my frustrations on my siblings. I annoyed the hell out of them and we ended up having a big fight. We ran all over the place, chasing, hitting, and kicking each other.

I'm pretty sure we knocked some things down and even broke some things, and I _know_ that Tomoko was glad when it was time to go to bed. But even then, we continued to harass each other. Josh and I jumped from bed to bed, keeping each other from going to bed, and we would carefully knock on the bedroom walls to receive knocks back from Kayla and Emi, who had recently begun to take part in our acts.

I actually found it all to be rather enjoyable, especially when Tomoko and Yoshito came and scolded us for being so noisy and loud. I surprised myself once again when I found pleasure out of their annoyance. Sure, even before, back home, I would've found some sort of enjoyment at somebody else's irritation, but I never imagined that I could like it this much. It just seemed so hilarious to piss someone off.

Finally, I proclaimed day seven to be known as Destruction –Differences and Departure.

It could also have been called: Hell, A Living Nightmare, A Total Nightmare, and SOB.

Because Tomoko just didn't seem to understand that Saturdays were invented so that everyone could have at least one day of the week where they could sleep in, NOT WAKE UP AT **SEVEN IN THE FRICKIN MORNING!** Not only that, but she somehow forced us to watch cheesy Saturday morning cartoons, and while I must admit that some of them were rather good and quite funny, I still wasn't happy.

Throughout the whole morning, my young features were condemned with an incurable glare and set frown. I hardly talked and when I did, it was in angered and irritable mutters or mumbles. My replies were also, blunt, honest, and probably very mean.

Tomoko, it seemed, got quite worried with my attitude and demeanor, and started asking questions. Question after frickin question. I swear I actually twitched out of annoyance and frustration. After each answer I gave, which was just as sarcastic and rude as everything else that had came out of my mouth that day, she seemed to only grow angrier and more annoyed with me.

_Tch, I could care less._ At that thought, I chuckled, which only annoyed and frustrated her more. _Oh, how delectably fun this is._

Eventually, she sent me to 'my' room. I couldn't remember how long it was till she called me out, but when I looked at the clock in the living room it read four thirty.

_Wow,_ I mused, _I thought it was much later than that._

"Hey," I said, my eyes searching the living room, "Where is everyone?"

"Oh, Yoshito took them to the park," Tomoko smiled. My eyes narrowed the slightest bit as I got the feeling that I imagined a mouse would get if a cat said it wanted to be friends, all the while a devious and all-too-Cheshire-cat-like grin playing on its face.

_The park,_ I backtracked to Tomoko's answer, starting to think random thoughts as my anger from the previous anger began to wear off. _I wanna go to the park._

"So…" I said with my eyes going everywhere around the room except Tomoko's own brown eyes. It was kind of awkward just standing there with her, especially since she was smiling that smile, that devious, evil, Cheshire cat smile. "Erm…"

"Well, Lyn, I think we should have a talk," Tomoko said and my eyes widened. Was it me, or was she starting to look more menacing?

_No, it's just the thought of confrontation,_ I told myself, and it probably was. Really, I wanted to be as honest with my feelings as possible, but **I **had to want to, and if I didn't feel like being open with my feelings, then I totally fell to pieces if asked to share them.

"Um," I gulped as she took a seat on the sofa and gestured for me to sit next to her. I settled for the armchair that was closer to the hallway, which meant it was closer to bedrooms, which meant I could lock myself in there and ignore Tomoko until she gave up, just in case this became too much for me.

"Well," Tomoko sounding just like that counselor from my school had sounded when she wanted to talk to me about…something… "I've just noticed that you've been having some trouble around here, adjusting. All of you have, you and you're siblings, but they seem to have adapted better than you have."

_Oh no! Here it comes, the sappy love comment where she's there for me and blah, blah, blah._ I winced involuntarily, just waiting for Tomoko to get all sappy.

"Well, I just want to you to know that I'm here for you if you need anything, like somebody to talk to, anything," she smiled. I tried to smile back, but it probably came out as a grimace more than anything.

"Er…yeah…thanks…?" I tried, though it came out more like a question.

Tomoko smiled and opened her eyes to start again. My eyes widened and my mouth dropped. _She's not done?!_

For ten whole minutes, we sat there and she just talked and talked and drove me straight to hell. Sure, ten minutes can seem like a short time when you're having fun, but have you ever noticed that when you're in agonizing pain it seems to pass so slowly? Like the last ten minutes of school, or the last ten minutes at a doctor or dentist appointment?

That's how it was for me right now. But, finally, I couldn't take any more and I snapped.

"ENOUGH!"I shouted, jumping from my seat onto my feet, with my eyes closed and my arms straight out in front of me as to keep something from hitting me. "I can't take it anymore! I don't need your help or sympathy! I'm fine, perfectly fine!"

Tomoko's eyes widened, "But then why are you so distant? Why don't you get along with me, Yoshito, and Emi as well as Josh and Kayla?"

My eyes narrowed with irritation as I looked at Tomoko, "First of all, it's 'Yoshito, Emi, and I' okay? Second, you annoy the hell out of me! Thirdly, I'm a naturally distant person!"

Tomoko's eyes were not only wide, now, but filling with tears, anger, and sorrow. _Oh, get over it_, I so desperately thought, rolling my eyes at her.

"Well, Lyn, if you're not happy here"—

I snorted at how truism that sounded, "How fucking cliché does that sound?!"

"Don't laugh at me," Tomoko scolded me after gasping at my foul language. I began to laugh. I heard Tomoko growl and she shouted at me while pointing toward the hallway, "Go to your room, Lyn!"

I laughed harder. Attempting to listen and behave, I began to force my legs to move toward 'my' room, but one glance at Tomoko's face and my giggles began to ring throughout the house. All the meanwhile, Tomoko was growing angrier, her face redder. My cackle only grew as she grew to be even more infuriated.

At that moment, she busted. She started saying things and I slowly stopped laughing as her words hit home. My face contorted into a glare alike to hers and I snarled out some nasty words of my own. We yelled and seethed and we both found out each other's true thoughts on the other.

She thought I was strange, the way I was always watching everybody. I never noticed, it was just something I did, I watch people, they're interesting. She thought I was much too quiet for a kid my age. Mentally, I'm fourteen years-old, besides, I've always been a bit anti-social. She thought I might be traumatized. I'm not, she's just over-protective. She wanted to talk to the Hokage. So did I.

One week, just seven days, was all it took. We're both fed up with each other. No matter how nice Tomoko seems, she's still human, and she has her limits. I think I broke that limit already. It's not my entire fault. We're just far too different.

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**So.Just.Smile:** Gr, the chapters just seem to be getting shorter, don't they? Not only that, but I go back to previous ones and realize how many mistakes I made. I'm so disappointed in myself. I apologize. Hopefully I fixed all the mistakes and the next chapter will be longer. Anyway, I've just realized that I am quite fond of reviews (hint hint). 

Random Reader: I don't get it.

**So.Just.Smile: -.****-'**


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